The Story Behind Imatinib, the First Targeted Cancer Treatment
Before the early 2000s, there were no effective treatments for chronic myelogenous leukemia, a blood cancer. Then came Imatinib. This drug dramatically improved survival and quality of life for patients with this disease. It also ushered in a new era of cancer treatment, with drugs that directly target tumor cells. In this episode, Chuck and Alicia talk with Dr. Brian Druker, a renowned physician scientist who was the main force behind the development of Imatinib.
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26:59
From Breast Cancer Patients to Healthy Mothers
As more people live longer and healthier lives following a cancer diagnosis, it brings up all kinds of questions about what is possible and safe. In this episode, Chuck and Alicia talk with Dr. Ann Partridge of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute about her work looking into how breast cancer survivors can have healthy pregnancies.In September, Dana-Farber is hosting the 2025 Cancer Centers Survivorship Research Forum. Find more information and register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cancer-centers-survivorship-research-forum-2025-registration-1270679660069
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21:58
21 Million Years of Life Reclaimed from Blood Cancers
An estimated 1.6 million people in the U.S. are living with or in remission from blood cancer. Many of these people are children. Today, thanks to the work of clinicians and researchers like Dr. Andy Kolb of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, those patients are living longer and undergoing less toxic treatments. In this episode, Dr. Kolb joins Chuck and Alicia to explain how his organization is improving the lives of patients with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other blood cancers.
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22:18
How Melanoma Met its Match: Cancer Immunotherapy
Did you know that the immune system, which keeps us from getting sick, can also be harnessed to fight cancer? In this episode, Dr. Jedd Wolchok of Weill Cornell Medicine explains the major breakthroughs that led to the development of immunotherapy. This revolutionized treatment of metastatic melanoma, and has since been a game-changer in treating many other kinds of cancers.
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22:07
Preventing Cancer by Understanding Inherited Risks
We all receive genes from our parents, but what happens when our family carries genetic variants that are known to cause cancer? Chuck talks with Dr. Pamela Munster about the specialty clinic she runs at the University of California, San Francisco, for those who have cancers that arise from genetic variants. She also shares her unique experience of being an oncologist who has had breast cancer, and has a BRCA variant herself.
Did you know that “good news” and “cancer” could go together? The truth is, patients and their families have never had more reasons for hope and optimism than they do right now. A decade of transformational breakthroughs in treatment and prevention have saved millions of lives, and that’s just the beginning. In every episode of The Good News About Cancer, Dr. Charles Ryan and Dr. Alicia Morgans speak to the doctors, researchers, and advocates who are improving outcomes and charting new paths forward all around the world. Now that’s good news!
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